Blood component separator disk
A separator disk (4) for use in centrifugal separation of components is designed to automatically position itself during separation at the interface between the supernatant and the remaining components. Preferably the interface is between plasma and red blood cells.
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This application claims the benefit of Provisional application Ser. No. 60/200,150, filed Apr. 28, 2000.
TECHNICAL FIELDThis invention relates to methods and apparatus for use in the separation of fluids into components having different specific gravities. The invention finds particular utility in the centrifugal separation of the components of blood.
BACKGROUNDCentrifugal separation of blood into components of different specific gravities, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,331 (Wells). The apparatus shown in that patent employs a disposable processing tube having two chambers, and blood to be separated into components is placed in one of the chambers. The processing tube is placed in a centrifuge, which subjects the blood to centrifugal forces to separate the components. The supernatant is then automatically decanted into the second of the chambers.
To retain, principally, the red blood cells during the decant of the supernatant, the apparatus disclosed in the Wells patent includes a shelf placed in the first chamber at the expected level of the interface between the red blood cells and the less-dense components, including the plasma. One problem with the arrangement shown in the '331 Wells patent, however, is that the position of the interface varies with the particular proportions of the components (e.g., the hematocrit) of the blood to be processed. Thus, if the shelf is placed at the expected position of the interface for blood of average hematocrit, and the hematocrit of the particular blood being processed is low, the shelf will be above the interface after separation. Such a position of the shelf will hinder the flow of the components near the interface during decanting, thus retaining significant amounts of these components in the first chamber and reducing the separation efficiency of the system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with the invention, a movable separator disk, which automatically positions itself at the interface between the separated components, is placed in the first chamber. In the preferred embodiment, the disk is capable of moving vertically and is designed to position itself automatically at the interface between red blood cells and the remaining components in the centrifugal separation of blood.
Decant of the supernatant can be either by gravity drain or by centrifugal transfer, and a main function of the disk is to restrict the flow of the component below it, e.g., red blood cells, during decant. This ensures that the supernatant is not contaminated and increases the efficiency of the process.
The invention contemplates two embodiments for the disk. In one embodiment, the disk is supported on a central shaft such that an annulus is formed between the perimeter of the disk and the interior surface of the first chamber. The dimensions of the annulus are such that the flow of red blood cells through it during decant is restricted such that they do not contaminate the decanted supernatant to any significant degree.
In another embodiment, the disk is arranged on the shaft such that, when the chamber is tilted for gravity decanting, the disk rotates such that one edge of the disk engages the wall of the chamber to block flow of red blood cells.
In either of these embodiments, the specific gravity of the disk and its shape may be chosen so that a major part of the upper surface lies just below the interface, thus facilitating release of the supernatant from the disk during decanting. This upper surface is also preferably curved to match the cylindrical shape the interface assumes during centrifugation.
With reference to
The shaft 6 may not be necessary in all instances, for example, when the bottom of the processing tube is flat. In that instance the disk does not have a central hole.
The disk is preferably made of material having a specific gravity that allows the disk to float at the interface with red blood cells. In the preferred embodiment that specific gravity is about 1.04 (e.g., polystyrene), which is just less than the specific gravity of red blood cells at 70% hematocrit. Thus, when the blood is centrifuged, the disk moves to the interface between the red blood cells and the other components.
The interface will naturally assume a cylindrical shape with a cylindrical radius equal to the distance to the center of rotation of the centrifuge. The disk may be cylindrical, to match the shape of the interface.
In the embodiment shown in
A second embodiment is shown in
Thus, the components of the blood flow through the channel during centrifugation (i.e., at 1000 G), but do not flow appreciably through the channel during decanting at 1 G. This allows the supernatant to be decanted without significant contamination by the red blood cells.
The layer of red blood cells 24 reduces the surface tension between the platelets at the interface 26 and the surface 20 of the disk and facilitates release of the platelets from the disk. This is important to ensure that all of the platelets are decanted, and the small amount of red blood cells that may be decanted along with the supernatant does not generally represent a significant contamination of the supernatant.
Modifications within the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art.
Claims
1. In combination, a tube comprising an inner wall forming a cavity adapted to contain a fluid to be subjected to centrifugation and a separator disk in said tube adapted to float freely in said fluid and separate components of said fluid having different specific gravities, said disk being made of a material having a specific gravity near the specific gravity of red blood cells and comprising a peripheral portion adjacent said inner wall of said tube and a central portion extending across at least a portion of said cavity, said central portion having an upper surface forming a closed recess configured such that after centrifugation of blood said closed recess lies just below an interface with separated red blood cells and accumulates a small layer of red blood cells.
2. A combination according to claim 1 wherein said disk fits into said tube such that a gap is formed between the perimeter of said disk and the interior of said tube, said gap being of such a dimension that the component of said fluid below said disk after separation will not flow through said gap at about 1 G.
3. A combination according to claim 1 further comprising a shaft extending along said tube and engaging said disk such that said disk slides along said shaft.
4. A combination according to claim 1 wherein said disk is arranged to rotate about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said tube to form a valve with the side of said tube during decanting.
5. A combination according to claim 4 further comprising a shaft extending along said tube and engaging said disk such that said disk slides along said shaft.
6. A combination according to claim 4 wherein said disk includes an upper outer edge and a lower outer edge and the transverse dimension between said upper outer edge and lower outer edge is greater than the internal diameter of said tube.
7. A combination according to claim 1 wherein said upper surface is curved.
8. A combination according to claim 7 wherein said upper surface is cylindrical.
9. A combination according to claim 1 wherein said disk is shaped such that its center of buoyancy is located above said upper surface of the disk.
10. A combination according to claim 1 wherein the specific gravity of said disk is such that said upper surface lies just below an interface between plasma and red blood cells.
11. In combination:
- a container forming a cavity extending along a longitudinal axis and configured to receive a fluid to be subjected to centrifugation, and
- a separator disk in said cavity configured to move freely in said cavity in the direction of said longitudinal axis during said centrifugation and comprising a central portion extending across said cavity transverse to said longitudinal direction, said central portion having a closed recess formed by raised inner and outer peripheral portions and a closed bottom between said portions that after centrifugation effectively separates a layer of said fluid just above said upper surface from fluid below said disk.
12. A combination according to claim 11 wherein said separator disk is made of material having a specific gravity near that of red blood cells, and said upper surface lies just below an interface with said red blood cells after centrifugation.
13. A method for separating plasma from red blood cells comprising the steps of providing the combination of claim 12, providing blood to the container, and subjecting said container to centrifugation.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Apr 27, 2001
Date of Patent: Jul 18, 2006
Patent Publication Number: 20030010711
Assignee: Harvest Technologies Corporation (Plymouth, MA)
Inventors: James R. Ellsworth (Marshfield, MA), Steven F. Levesque (Hanson, MA)
Primary Examiner: David Sorkin
Attorney: Clark & Brody
Application Number: 10/019,680
International Classification: B04B 7/12 (20060101);